Tuesday, February 24

How to Use Up Ripe Bananas? Make Banana, Coconut, and Date Bread.

I wasn't gonna do it. I swear.

I was determined to get through all four posts of how to use up ripe bananas without making a banana bread. Because, really, does the world need one more banana bread recipe? After eating this banana, coconut, and Medjool date bread, I can say with certainty, Yes, it does.

Each bite of this satisfying banana bread is chock full of creamy banana, toasted coconut, crunchy walnuts, and sticky, sweet Medjool dates. Enjoy it plain or toasted with a dab of butter. Or, if you really feel like splurging, top it with a thick layer of peanut butter, because everything's better with peanut butter.

Dear Readers,

Please note that on March 1, 2009, I made a correction to the recipe below and have updated the recipe page. It should have 1 cup of low-fat buttermilk, not two. My apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thanks, Bev!

In a large bowl, beat brown sugar and eggs. Add buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; beat until batter is smooth. Lower the speed; add the bananas and beat briefly (it's ok if the batter has a few lumps).

Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until just incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the dates, walnuts, and toasted coconut. The batter will be thick. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until the top is a deep golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Check the bread about halfway through. If you feel like the top is getting too brown, then tent the pan with a piece of aluminum foil and continue baking. You can also place the pan on two stacked baking sheets in the center of the oven to prevent the bottom of the bread from getting too browned.

Transfer the bread to a rack; let cool for 10 minutes, then unmold and place on a rack to cool to room temperature.

If you missed the previous three posts on how to use up ripe bananas, then you can check them out here:

It certainly looks like the world needs another banana bread recipe because the crust on yours looks delightful! I'm not a fan of cake-like "breads" (read: most banana breads that are basically square muffins that are basically cakes) so this looks like my kind of banana bread recipe.

Hey, I don't think there could ever be enough banana bread in this world. Yours looks delicious! You know what though, I never have old bananas to use up. I'd have to purposely let them sit there and not eat them :-)

This looks so healthy ! I don't bake often enough with whole wheat flour but this recipe sounds so moist and delicious! I have a brand new bag of coconut to use too.. thanks for sharing this recipe Susan!

Sometimes I think I subconsciously (ok, so maybe consciously) let bananas go bad just so I have a good excuse to make banana bread. Oops, bananas are over ripe, i guess i'll just *have* to make banana bread.

Another banana bread recipe? Another soup recipe? Another sunshiney morning? Yes to all!

PS Your bananas look a little under-ripe? It takes a long time to reach maximum ripeness, but it's worth it! Here's pictures to show how dark you can go! (And I have one in the pantry right now which is even darker ... )

I caved and created a new banana bread recipe the other day too. Mine has cinnamon chips :) This one looks great. I recently used dates in a bread and I was really pleased with how well they worked out. I'm not a big fan of nuts, but that toasted coconut is a great idea!